FCTA distributes HIV/AIDS rapid test kits worth N2.5bn

THE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Wednesday, said it has distributed HIV/AIDS rapid test kits worth over N2 billion to health facilities in rural communities in Area Councils made up of FCT in 2017.

The  FCT Secretary of Health and Human Service Secretariat, Mrs Amanda Pam, who disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja, further said the secretariat has also funded tuberculosis, family planning and vaccine programmes with over N39 million.

She said the Secretariat has also successfully integrated HIV testing services into this year’s rounds of the Maternal Neo- Maternal Child Health (MNCH) weeks, resulting to hitting the target of reaching at least 69 percent Healthcare Technical Services (HTS), coverage among women of childbearing age.

According to her, “the secretariat distributed these commodities, HIV rapid test kits to health facilities across the six Area Councils of the FCT, successfully integrated HIV Testing Services into the May and December 2017 rounds of the MNCH weeks in the FCT, with 69 percent HTS coverage achieved among Women of Child Bearing Age.

“FCT logistics Management Coordinating Unit ( LMCU) successfully supported the last mile distribution ( LMD) of commodities worth N2,595,220,646.00, N15,350,842.80, N20,787,436.80, and N3,793,645,800.00 for HIV, TB, Family Planning and Vaccine programmes respectively”, she added.

The secretary then decried the delay at which some of the health and other allied matters bill of the secretariat still pending at the National Assembly, vowed that despite the obvious challenges the secretariat would move the health sector of the FCT to the next phase in 2018.

She explained that among the New projects the Secretariat intended to embark on to improve health and Human services in the territory were rehabilitation and expansion of Kuje District Hospital to a standard secondary healthcare facility.

Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Pharmacy Unit, Amos Aremu, explained that the sealing of some Pharmaceutical firms within the nation’s capital was done to curtail the activities of some people who want to make profit at the expense of public health.